About the possible cause of pressure pulsations in the combustion chamber of the P230 solid-fuel accelerator of the Ariane-5 rocket

Abstract

The causes of pressure pulsations in the combustion chamber of the solid-fuel booster of the "Arian-5" rocket have been hypothesized. The assumption is that the burning drops of red-hot aluminum are a source of thermal radiation, the radiation temperature of which is proportional to the activation energy of the evaporation of the oxidizer - ammonium perchlorate, and this causes an increased burning rate of solid rocket fuel and the appearance of pressure pulsations in the combustion chamber. The results of calculations by French and Pakistani researchers are analyzed and compared with the author's calculations. As a result of the author's calculations, it was shown that the dimensions of aluminum drops can be the dimensions of half-wave vibrators - antennas of infrared radiation. In the process of burning, there is a rapid and continuous change in their wavelength and activation energy of perchlorate evaporation.